If you haven’t heard of Drop, you’re not alone. But let me tell you right now that this app is a must download for anyone who likes loyalty rewards and free stuff. It was introduced to the Canadian marketplace in 2016 and has been rolling into select U.S. markets this year. Drop now has 150,000+ active users.

The app is pretty straightforward. Spend as you normally would, collect points, then use those points to claim gift cards from partner retailers. I know, it doesn’t sound like anything special. But as you’ll read below in my Drop app review, Drop has some unique features which make it stand out from other reward apps.

How the Drop app works

Once you download the app. You’ll be prompted to choose five of your favourite brands such as Starbucks, McDonald’s, Amazon, Ritual, Aritzia, Cineplex, LCBO, Wal-Mart, Uber, and much more. You’ll also get weekly offers based on your shopping habits from various merchants where you can earn even more points.

You’ll need to link your debit and credit cards to the app to start earning rewards. Some people are hesitant to link their cards, but Drop uses 256-bit bank-level encryption so all your data is protected. Admittedly, this is the biggest concern for many people and I understand why you wouldn’t want to link your credit and debit cards to an app.

Now that you’ve got your cards connected, you’ll start earning points automatically when spending on your selected brands. There’s no need to take out your cell phone or type in a loyalty number; your points are earned automatically.

Once you’ve earned enough points to redeem a gift card, you’ll be sent an e-mail. I should note that when it comes to redeeming your gift cards, you’re not limited to the five brands you chose. There are many additional options available to you.

Get double the rewards with Drop

Right now you might be thinking that this Drop app review is nothing special, but think about how the app works for a second. After the initial setup, everything is automatic, so there’s no extra work required on your end. If you’ve chosen brands where you spend a lot of money anyway, you can expect to earn a reward about once a month.

Although Drop sort of serves as a loyalty program for brands who currently don’t have one in place, it also acts as double rewards for merchants that do have one. For example, Cineplex has SCENE as their loyalty program. If you use your connected credit card, you’ll also earn Drop points at Cineplex. It’s not a true “double” points feature, but you are earning points in two different ways on the same spend.

In addition, you still earn points or cash-back through your regular credit card rewards, so in other words, you could potentially earn rewards three different ways through a single purchase. (1) The merchant’s regular loyalty program. (2) Your credit card’s rewards program. (3) Drop rewards points.

Now, if you don’t like to use credit cards, no problem. Remember, you can link your debit card to Drop so you can earn points that way instead.  As far as I know, there’s no other way to earn rewards with your debit card.

Are there easier ways to earn points?

Despite the fact that I like how easy it is to earn points and rewards with Drop, I do believe there are easier ways to earn free stuff. My personally preferred method is to churn credit cards. This is where you would apply for a credit card with a huge signup bonus and then you cancel it once you’ve met the spending threshold.

The reason this is so lucrative is that the signup points are just worth so much. For example, consider the following card:

• American Express Platinum – 60,000 signup bonus points (enough for 2 roundtrip tickets within continental North America)

I personally believe that it’s better to signup for new cards to get those signup bonuses. Why worry about a $5 gift card when you could use specific credit cards and go for bonuses that are worth $500 instead? Obviously, this tactic only makes sense if you’re always paying your bills in full every month. If you carry a balance, the interest rates will cost you a small fortune.

Check out my article on the best travel credit cards in Canada to find out which cards have the best signup bonuses.

Final word

My Drop app review is positive. There’s no better and lazier way to earn rewards than with Drop. That being said, if you pay attention to the one-time offers, you can really earn points fast.